Ostracized in '07, U.S. goalie Solo back in good graces

With Americans united, Solo act draws ravesOstracized in '07, goalie back in good graces

JERE LONGMAN, NEW YORK TIMES

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Photo: Scott Heavey, Getty

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Hope Solo's eventful match against Brazil ends on an up note as she makes a save during the penalty kick shootout that allowed the U.S. to move on to the semifinals.

Hope Solo's eventful match against Brazil ends on an up note as she makes a save during the penalty kick shootout that allowed the U.S. to move on to the semifinals.

Photo: Scott Heavey, Getty

Ostracized in '07, U.S. goalie Solo back in good graces

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MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany — They would joke about it later, but the moment grew too chaotic for Hope Solo. She had to get away. This time she left on her own, not at the insistence of others.

The Women's World Cup quarterfinals reached penalty kicks Sunday after a stunning comeback in overtime by the U.S. against Brazil. In a team huddle, forward Abby Wambach screamed at her teammates to relax.

"Look who's talking," midfielder Carli Lloyd said, according to Solo, and the other players laughed edgily. Who could calm down with someone yelling at them?

A few players started punching Solo. She was the goalkeeper. These were fists of encouragement, meant to rouse and motivate her. But Solo felt her emotions rising when she needed to feel calm. So she just walked away, strolled to the other side of the field in Dresden, and leaned on the advertising boards.

Solo looked into the stands and found her mother, brother and sister. She spotted her aunt and uncle. She thought briefly about the 2007 World Cup, about how she wanted to enjoy this moment because that other moment had been so unpleasant.

Her father had died shortly before that World Cup. He had been Solo's biggest supporter and a bigger enigma, a man who lived in a tent, homeless, who kept changing his name and departed before everything could be explained.

When the 2007 World Cup started, Solo was still grieving. Then she was benched by coach Greg Ryan for a semifinal match against Brazil. The U.S. lost 4-0 with Briana Scurry in goal. Afterward, Solo said she could have saved the shots that ended up in the net. Her words scattered beyond their aim.

Solo's teammates took her remarks as a criticism of Scurry, not just Ryan. She was banished from the third-place game and the team flight home from China, ostracized by the women who had played with her and been her friends.

Proving people wrong

So on Sunday, as she awaited the shootout, Solo took in the crowd. She let the noise wash over her. The U.S. had played a player down for the final 25 minutes of regulation and all 30 minutes of overtime.

"I just wanted to enjoy this moment, because in 2007 I wasn't able to do that," Solo said. "I was at peace, clearheaded, right where I needed to be."

When Daiane, the third Brazilian shooter, set up for her penalty kick, Solo made her wait. She moved unhurriedly in the goal mouth, stalling, trying to spot something that would betray Daiane's intent. Finally, she did. The way Daiane ran toward the ball, the arc of her approach, was the giveaway. She was behind the ball, and her hips opened, and the ball could go in only one direction. Solo dived to her right and punched the ball away, and the Americans soon advanced to today's semifinals to face France.

It will be a challenge. The U.S. is playing on short rest after a physically and emotionally draining quarterfinal. France plays elegant, possession soccer. And the Americans will have to make a change in central defense. Rachel Buehler is suspended with a red card. Becky Sauerbrunn is expected to take her place. She has not played yet in this tournament. But she will have Solo as a last line of defense - rangy, confident, renewed.

"I've been prepared for this through heartaches, through personal struggles," Solo said. "This is what it's all about. It's about defying the odds for me. It's about proving people wrong. It's about playing the game I'm passionate about. This is what I live for. I've prepared my entire life for this moment."

Her right shoulder is still sore from the surgery in September to repair a torn labrum.

Solo's career trajectory shifted early in 2008, after Ryan's contract was not renewed and Pia Sundhage became the U.S. coach. Sundhage made a simple calculation: Nobody wins anything in soccer without a capable goalkeeper.

"Whatever happened in 2007, I respectfully listened to the stories," Sundhage said. "I asked them not to forget - because probably that's impossible - but I wanted them to forgive going forward. This team is not about one player or an individual. It's about the team."

For reasons practical and professional, amends were made before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Solo made a critical save in the gold-medal game as the U.S. prevailed against Brazil 1-0. But she said beforehand that some teammates were still standoffish.

Confident type

Three years later, Solo seems fully back in the team. It was evident Sunday when she and Wambach jumped in each other's arms in celebration.

In 2007, Wambach said she agreed with Solo's banishment, calling her behavior a distraction. But there they were Sunday, arms around each other in photographs that ran around the world.

"I believe it's apropos what has happened with Hope in the last four years," Wambach said. "She's not only become the best goalkeeper in the world, but she's proven it by her actions.

"I think Hope is probably one of the most confident people you'll ever meet. In a PK shootout, I've got a lot of confidence in her. Once we got the equalizer, I knew we were going to win."